ahhh HA!

(...why i love my job at kaiser)

the Amazing Food Detective and cast enlist the help of the audience

whenever people ask what i do at kaiser, and i tell them i work with professional actors in the theatre department, they think i'm bonkers. or they think kaiser is bonkers. either way, it always takes some 'splainin to do.

short story: kaiser is nonprofit (some people don't know that), and to stay nonprofit, they have to prove to the government powers that be that they give their profits back to the community. therefore, we have a community benefit department, that does just that: works to do beneficial things (like give grants, sponsor races and events, and organize volunteer projects) for the communities we serve. the educational theatre department is a subset of this deparment, and trust me, it's the most fun department in the whole organization. i work with 15 other people to bring educational theatre programs, in the form of short  plays or longer term residency projects, to elementary and high schools across our region. specifically, i work with the touring team of our department, and organize the calendar and database and marketing to make sure our touring team has a scheduled show at an elementary school every school day of the year.

whew. that wasn't as short as i wanted it to be.

that said, we have this one program we tour called 'the Amazing Food Detective', and it's the funniest play i think i've ever seen. by now (four years in) i think i've seen it maybe 34 times, and everytime i laugh. every.time.

(here Mrs C takes a 'closer look' at the cereal ingredients)

sometimes i get tired of doing three jobs. sometimes, specifically, i get tired of working at a job that, while it's fun, is not my dream. this has been especially hard in the last year, while i've been working at this un-dream job fulltime, and my dream job only part time. inevitably, most of my energy goes into my full time job, leaving my career development a little more anemic than i'd wish. that said, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it keeps me pushing ahead, so that's helpful.

also keeping me going is seeing these plays and the kids' reactions to our work... sitting in the office everyday, working with busy educators (some teachers seriously scare me with how poorly they write and communicate!!),  and attending endless meetings to make decisions about decision making, i sometimes forget what we're doing. but, when i see the actual product we're delivering, to the actual students for which it's making a difference, i am refreshed and inspired to keep doing what i'm doing. and that makes my job feel important, and worthwhile (can't complain about those feelings).

plus, i love love love going to elementary schools. they bring back waves of nostalgia, from the art projects on the walls to the kid-sized bathrooms to the lunchroom smells to the climbing ropes in the gym: it reminds me that technology has not killed creativity and that childhood is not dead, i've just passed through it, and other (lucky) kids are still experiencing what i found to be hallmarks of my childhood memories. truth be told, that's why i like to go to the schools and see the plays.

lately, with some of my super grown up feelings, i think i'll have to schedule a weekly session with the amazing food detective... anyone want to join me?